Rough Water
by FloodFeSTeR
Summary: Beth is scared. She's lost everything. Her father, her sister, her family. All she has left is Merle. And she's afraid she's losing him to.
1. Chapter 1

**Rough Water**

He didn't know what to do.

For the first time in his life Merle Dixon didn't know what to do.

He wasn't supposed to be here, he was supposed to be dead. He wasn't supposed to be here while the Big Bad Wolf knocked on the door, threatening to blow everything away. There were voices in his head, two of then, fighting for their right to be heard.

The smallest screamed at him, a small squeak. It told him to grab her and run, get away before it all blew up in their faces.

The loudest whispered to him in one airy breath against his temple. _Let Her Go..._

He didn't know what to do.

Fir the first time in his life Merle Dixon didn't know what to do.

The voices fought in his head, a clear sign of schizophrenia, making his head hurt and his gut roll. A prick starting thumping around hia pupils, making him cringe. Then he felt a grip on his hand and look to see her blue eyes smiling at him.

_Grab het...Let Her Go!_

"Merle..."

* * *

_So this is my first Merle/ Beth fic. I don't wanna make it a big thing, but lets live in a magical world where Merle didn't die and was there when the Governor attacked the final time huh?_


	2. Chapter 2

She screamed.

Beth screamed.

And it was gut wrenching, blood curdling, and it was bound to draw every Walker to them.

She hit the ground with her knees, tears leaking onto her face. She held her face in her hands, not caring what happened around her. Walkers could start gnawing on her ankles and she wouldn't care. She would relish it. She had just seen her father beheaded, she had just seen her friends and family attacked, she had just been wrenched from her home and tossed into the woods with the wrong redneck.

"Get yer ass up, sugar tits. Gotta get a move on."

Beth loathed Merle Dixon.

She glared up at him through the tears. 'Fuck off," she hissed.

Merle's eyebrows shot up and he raised his hand a little, backing off. "Whoa ho ho, she's a feistyblittle one ain't she. Didn't think ya could cuss, aren't you one of them bible thumpers?"

Beth glared and shot up to her feet, fkr the first time being angry enough to curse at anyone or anything. She was angry at the Walkers and the Governor and most of all Merle, who was right in front of her, mocking her for being upset, not caring that she just saw her father be beheaded. He didn't care, why he saved her, she would never know. He probably thought kt was a good way to stay on the groups good side when they found them again. If they found them again. Everyone was scattered and afraid, Rick and Carl were still at the prison, Beth wonders if they even got out, but then she looks over at Merle and the anger rises above the worry.

"Why did ya even save me if you were just gonna mock me?!"

He stared at her, an amused smirk on his lips. "Cus its funny."

Beth screamed again and threw her hands into the air, looking back at the prison. Why couldn't Daryl save her? He went off kn his own, Beth had seen him jump on his bike and he was gone. He didn't even try to save her. Beth bit her bottom lip and wrapped her arms around her middle, confused and scared. At least she wasn't alone, but she didn't know what to do, where to go. They had a meeting spot, but to be honest Beth didn't understand where it was. Near the farm... she didn't want to go back there, her old home, probably burned and raided, left to scavengers. She didn't want to see her home in a state of dissaray, of course it wasn't any better the last time she saw it, now after the old wounds had been closed she didn't need them reopened.

She swallowed thickly and turned back to Merle, keeping her eyes down. The adrenaline was wearing off, she was beginning to realize her faults. Her daddy would not be proud, but she rationalized he would understand, considering the circunstances.

"We had a meeting place..." she mumbled, beginning to walk in the direction she knee the road tk be in.

"How does that help?"

She heard leaves crunch as he followed behind her. "Because we can meet up with the others...we can find our family."

"Ain't no family of mine."

"And Daryl?"

He was silent after that and Beth nodded solemnly to herself. She was tired, battered and bruised. She just wanted to rest, but there was no way she was going to chance it when they were still so close to the enemy. If they got a hold of either one of them, who knows what they would do to them. Beth remembered what they did to Glenn and her sister. The very man was behind her right now. She peered over her left ahoulder and watched him, he was tired, aging. He looked like the man that did all of those horrible things, but Beth did rationalize in her head that the Governor had saved Merle's life after he sawed off his own hand, brought him 'home' and kept him well and fed when he needed it. It was only repaying the kindness she supposed, so she really couldn't blame him. And he wasn't the one that almost raped Maggie, that was the Governor.

"Gonna need a car," Merle mentioned airily.

Beth sighed, stepping over a moss covered crumbling log. "Guess so..." she mumbled.

She was weak, she was tired, she wouldn't make it much longer on foot or in a car. She needed rest, she needed time to gather her thoughtw swarming in her head, she needed time to grieve for her losses. Merle hadn't been talking too much since her small tantrum and Beth was glad for that. She didn't want to babysit the eldest Dixon on their meeting groundd. Where would they get the car? Beth thouhht, they to have stashed one somewhere, in case something happened and they had to fle, but anything she thought of was back at the prison, and she was risking that. Think Beth think...

Her mouth popped into an O and she whirled arou d on her heel, slightly startling Merle. ""We have one hidden in the brush by the sign giving the directions to the prison, the big green one."

He stared at her for a long moment, then nodded, eyes narrowing slightly. "Lead the way then."

Beth smiled, for the first time that day she smiled, and she turned right around and started walking again, a slihht skip in her gait, a wide grin on her face. She could find her family again if they could just get to that car before sundown, they could do that. They could totally do that. Beth looked down a little, gnawed kn her bottom lip, then stopped. She stred at the ground for a long moment and then sighed, turning around to Merle.

"I'm sorry..."

"Fer what?"

She let out a huff of breatg, making her bangs ruffle slightly. "Fer what?" she copied his accent horribly. "For yelling at you."

He stared at her for a long time, then shrugged and started walking again. "Let's go."

Beth watched his back, knowing where Daryl got his attitude from. Except Merle saved Beth, aand Daryl didn't


	3. Chapter 3

Beth smiled wide as Merle pulled the thick brush away from the car, her hands folded against her lips as though she were praying. She wanted to jump and skip, she would have screamed in delight if they hadn't already run from quite a few Walkers on their way towards the car. Merle stumbled back a little and rubbed his lower back, his forehead slick with sweat. He gestured to the car and looked over at Beth, looking too tired to have to do anything else.

"This it?"

Beth rolled her eyes and tried to reel in her temper. She never got angry, Beth was a very calm and quiet person, she was the care taker of the children and before the old people. She never got angry dammit, but every little thing Merle was doing just made her so angry. She rationalized it was the conditioning Rick and the others had with their words and their memories of the eldest Dixon.

"Well yeah, who else's would it be?"

Merle glared at the young girl. "What's yer problem?"

Beth sighed. "Look, I'm sorry."

"Sorry is starting to not cut it kid, ya need to get over it and get yer shit together. Getting sick of this shit."

Beth stared at him for a long moment and then nodded. "Alright…alright. Are you gonna drive or do you want me to?"

He looked at her strangely. "Didn't think you were old enough to drive."

Beth huffed and placed both hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at him slightly. "I'm eighteen."

Merle shrugged. "Guess I'll drive, any supplies in here?" he opened the back door and started rummaging around.

Beth tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shrugged, looking at the trunk. "Let me check the trunk."

He merely grunted and she opened the driver side, pulling the handle to the trunk. She heard it pop open and pushed out of the car, jogging towards the back and she smiled when she opened the trunk. She reached in and pulled out the thick back pack of food and grabbed two guns, one for herself and the other for Merle, sliding hers into the back of her jeans. She slung the pack of her shoulder and grabbed a couple of bottles of water, slamming the door shut before she jogged around and fell into the driver's seat. Merle's head shot up and he smirked at her thick pack and the gun she held out to him. He took it and checked the clip, nodding to himself as he pulled out of the car. He shut the door and slid into the passenger's seat, taking a bottle of water.

"Thought I was gonna drive."

Beth looked over at him, bottle of water held to her lips. "You can if you want."

He shook his head and took a sip of the water, sighing. "You drive, I'm tired."

Beth nodded and started the car, pulling out of the tree line. They started down the road, Beth humming a tune under her breath. She was tired but she was feeling optimistic with a vehicle in their possession. Walking would get them nowhere, and they were the only ones besides Daryl that had transportation. Rick, Carl and her sister along with a few others were technically stranded. Beth pulled a hand from the steering wheel and rubbed her lips, feeling her chest swell with a sob she didn't want to let out in front of Merle. She had cried enough in front of him for one day, she didn't want to do it anymore, and she was sure he was pretty sick of it. He had said so.

"Think we'll find everyone?" she muttered.

Merle didn't say anything and Beth took it as a grim answer, she wanted to find everyone, she wanted her sister back. She wanted Daryl back. He was safe, he was the protector of the group, whether Rick and the other men liked it or not. He did the hunting, the trapping, and the occasional interrogating. She remembered what Randall looked like when Daryl got a hold of him. She remembered the cries of pain and the blood on Daryl's knuckles. He was dangerous, and he was safe.

"We'll find em…"

Beth smiled a little but didn't let him see. He had some hope it seemed.

_It's short and it sucks, I know, but a few of these are gonna be short in the beginning, but then they're gonna get longer I promise._


	4. Chapter 4

"Well that should keep goin all night."

Beth raised an eyebrow at the fire Merle had made, wanting to laugh because it looked more like a bonfire. "It looks like we're trying to signal others," she mumbled, tightening the jacket around her.

Merle almost cracked a smile but saw the way young Beth shivered and he raised his own brow at her. "Cold ain't cha?"

She nodded as he sat a good two feet away from her left side. "Well yeah…but it's not really as cold as I think it is…is it?"

Merle shook his head. "Nope, ya sick ain't cha?"

Beth groaned and knocked her head back. "Perfect. Just what we don't need…why is this happening?" she mumbled the last part, lying back in the dirt.

"Cus the Governor was a jackass."

Beth's face scrunched up oddly for a long time, lips twitching, until she finally let out a loud laugh, slapping her hand over her mouth quickly. She squeezed her eyes closed and Merle laughed this time, not in the slightest bit worried about any Walkers. She needed a laugh, poor kid watched her daddy beheaded. Even a man like Merle, under the age and the abuse and the drug riddled holes in his brain, he had a conscience and Hershel was a good man. He may have been a tad annoying trying to 'save' Merle at every chance he got, but the old man had good intentions and Merle could see them. He deserved an honorable death, Merle knew he should have gone with that black bitch and Hershel when they went to move the bodies. He knew it, had a feeling something bad was going to happen, but he didn't think that would happen. Hell, they all thought they were done with the Governor, they thought he had either died or simply moved on to harass a new settlement somewhere far away. It had been a couple of months after all.

"What's so funny?" Beth sat up, eyes narrowing a little.

Merle liked the spunk in her the past day, it was entertaining. "You kid."

Her brow scrunched. "What do ya mean?"

Merle chuckled and poked at the fire with his bladed hand. "Ya spunky today kid, I know you've noticed it. Cussin an' everything. More like Daryl every day."

Her cheeks heated up and she wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't know what you're talkin about."

"Oh c'mon, I know ya like my lil brother," Merle grinned at the way her cheeks blazed. "Not good at hiding it."

Beth sat there for a moment, glaring at the ground, then she pushed herself to her feet, eyes sort of hollow as she stared down at Merle. "We should get some sleep," she muttered.

Merle watched her walk to the car and open the back seat door. He shook his head as it slammed shut. He really needed to talk to his brother, if he had done anything with that little girl he needed to say something. Merle wasn't an idiot, he had done many things with young girls like that, lead them on, let them hug him among other things, and simply ignored them like they were barely acquaintances. Daryl didn't understand what he was doing, well he did, but he didn't understand the consequences. Merle regretted everything he did before the apocalypse, especially messin with girls heads. Sure he had those urges, but this was the apocalypse and pickings were so slim the urges were null. And this wasn't just some girl, this was a girl his lil brother had known longer than most, this was someone he had been through some shit through obviously.

Either his brother had some explaining to do or the girl was delusional. It could be either one, no matter what someone needed to be talked to.

Merle grunted as he stood, looking around at the trees with scrutinizing eyes. He didn't like how quiet it was, something was wrong. Even with all the Walkers around, it had never been this quiet. He walked over to the tree line to his right, running his fingers across scarred bark, a piece coming off in his hand. He rolled it around in his fingers, his mind reeling with what this could mean. He hoped it meant someone had been and gone, he hoped it didn't mean what he thought. He dropped the bark to the ground and stuffed his hand into his pocket, looking around with scrutinizing eyes, not seeing anything but darkness. He shook his head and walked back over to the fire, plopping down in the grass. He propped his hand on his knee, staring at the bottom of the fire.

They needed to find the rest of the group badly, they couldn't do much on their own. Beth was vulnerable, even with gun training and all, she was getting sick. And Merle…he was old, he had lost his fire a long time ago. The only thing he was good for now was directions, and she could figure them out on her own. He was useless, and soon she would be too. No cold remedies, no Hershel to fix it with natural remedies, and they were now living in a car.

Merle would have rathered to be back in prison again.

**0000**

Beth growled as someone pulled on her ankle. She grumbled as they tucked on her ankle again and pulled her jacket over her head. "Go away," she mumbled.

"Get yer ass up already, it's noon."

She shot up in her seat, screaming as her nose smacked into Merle's, flying back down into the seat as she held her hands over her face. That hurt so fudging bad. She rocked on her back for a second and then sat up slower, reaching out a hand to make sure she didn't bump into him again. She peeked over the edge of her hand, her cheeks flushed a bright red and she slowly lowered her hand, seeing his fingers running over his bottom lip.

"Sorry," she muttered.

He shook his head, reaching his hand out to her. "Come on, we need ta get goin."

She took his hand and let him pull her from the back seat. She stretched and groaned, looking around at the misty clearing they were in. "Why didn't you just start driving?" she asked.

He looked around the clearing for a minute before he pushed her towards the driver's seat. "I went lookin' around for a lil bit…we need to get out of here."

"Ok, that still doesn't reason why you didn't start driving."

Merle rolled his eyes at Beth as she slid into the driver's seat. "I ain't slept all night, can't drive if I'm passing out at the wheel."

Beth nodded numbly and started the engine, pressing down on the gas pedal. They pulled out onto the road, Beth mutely checking to see if anyone was coming. It was a reflex she still had not grown out of. She knew Rick and Carol still did it, she didn't feel so alone. She wondered if Carol was still out there, she was defiantly a fighter now. She could take care of herself, she had grown tough since the farm. She would be fine, Beth hated to admit it but she probably wouldn't have made it out of there if it hadn't been for Merle. She peeked out of the corner of her eye and saw him asleep already. She hadn't seen him sleep in days. Of course she hadn't been watching him.

She had been too busy with Judith.

Missing Judith Grimes.

* * *

_Ugh it sucks so much!_


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you mean you don't remember how to get there? Didn' ya live there ya whole life?!"

Beth pressed her fingers into her temples, massaging them in a circular motion to ease the head ache starting behind her eyes. "Look, I never said I didn't remember where the way…I just mean…well I don't know what I mean at this point. Please just stop yelling at me."

Merle huffed and turned his back on Beth, walking back towards the car. Beth remained in her spot in the center of the road, breathing in and out deeply through her nose. She hadn't exactly forgot where she had lived, just having driving for as long as they just as, she had gotten a little side tracked and had ended up taking a few strange twists and turns that she didn't recognize. Beth had been driving for six hours straight, high speed down winding roads while Merle snored in her ear. She had decided to get lost in her thoughts, and consequently that had meant her not paying attention to the road.

Beth should have never been allowed to drive.

She sighed and let her hands drop, the flat palms smacking against her thighs as she looked around at the strange fields around her. The fields were large and almost like they came from a romantic movie picture based in a fictional farm land. Hills of green on either side of her, Beth could hear a whinny or two and few cattle call but she didn't get her hopes up. They could just be loner livestock. She looked over at the older Dixon brother that was staring at the field to Beth's right, eyes slightly narrowed. Since he had woken up, which was roughly twenty minutes ago, he had been acting strange. He wouldn't answer her question as to why they had to leave their campsite before Beth could fully wake up, and she didn't like that but all she had was Merle right now and he seemed safe.

Sort of.

"We need to head to a highway…" Merle mumbled, resting his bad arm on the steering wheel.

"Well I know that," Beth sighed. "But do you know which highway leads out of Atlanta?"

Merle nodded and leaned back in the driver's seat, staring forward. "The one towards that ol' quarry is the one I'm sure that leads to ya old house…yeah I know where it is," he looked around for a moment and pushed himself out of the car. "I know this road…" he walked towards the front of the car and a little farther. "Used ta drive these roads when Daryl and I worked in the lumber yard near the mountains…I'm driving."

Beth nodded and jogged around towards the passenger side and jumped in while he started the car again and pulled away from side of the road. Beth rested her forehead against the glass and sighed, causing the window to fog up slightly, and then she started to cough painfully. She held a fist over her mouth and a hand flat against her chest, tears springing into her eyes. She leaned forward onto her knees and tried to hold it in. It hurt so bad, like someone was stabbing the inside of her throat with needles. Beth leaned back against the seat again and took in a few deep breathes, her cheeks aflame in pain and an itch still scratching at the back of her throat.

"Need to find ya some medicine…"

Beth looked over at Merle with narrowed eyes, not from anger but from pain. "So sweet," she mumbled, a smile worming its way onto her face.

He almost smiled, but his lips fell and his expression grew hard again. "Maybe we should skip and go to the timber yard. It's safer there."

"We have to get to the others, that was the plan."

"Well plans change, yer getting sick and I ain' gonna be able to protect ya while ya are so we need somewhere safe."

"We'll be safe with the group," she mumbled, her eyes slowly closing.

Beth was so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open. He was right, she was getting very sick. She couldn't make it with just Merle though, she had to get him to find the others. They both needed the protection of a group, their group. She opened her eyes again briefly to see the road ahead of them still bathed in sunlight. She could have sworn she had fallen asleep. She yawned a little and rolled the best she could onto her side, closing her eyes again as she heard Merle faintly humming. That tune…it was so familiar but Beth couldn't place it.

**0000**

She woke to the sound of fire.

Beth's eyes snapped open and she shot straight up in her spot on the ground, a blanket falling off of her shoulders and exposing her to the chilly night air. She shivered and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around herself as she pushed herself up onto shaky legs. She looked around, flipping the edge of the blanket from her shoulder onto her head into a hood to hide her ears from the wind. She sneezed and rubbed at her nose, walking around the edge of the small fire dying in front of her.

How had she gotten here? The last thing she could remember was listening to Merle hum as they drove down the road. She must have fallen asleep in the car and Merle moved her to the fire because of the chill.

"Merle?" she mumbled, starting towards the car.

She opened the driver's side door and ducked her head inside, not seeing him anywhere. She scrunched up her brow and reached into the passenger seat for her gun. She stuffed it into the back of her jeans and shut the door, turning back around to the fire. Where the hell was Merle? She swallowed thickly and walked back to the fire, crouching down for a moment to expose her bare hands to the fire in an attempt to warm herself up. She hummed a tune for a moment and then a twitch started in her stomach and she looked around at the dark tree line; the fire had caused everything around her to darken instead of lighten, her line of focus ending near the trees. Beth pushed herself up onto her feet and tightened the blanket around herself, walking towards the tree line.

"Merle?" she dared call louder, her chest tightening.

She shuffled there, on the tree line, for a moment, biting her chapped lip and contemplating going in to look for him. What if he was injured, why would he have run away from her this way? Wouldn't he let her know if he was leaving to investigate or patrol? Especially at night? Beth didn't like to admit that she knew Merle pretty well by now, and he never slipped off at night without saying anything.

"Merle?"

Where was he? Why wasn't he answering her? Why wasn't he here with her right now? Merle had never left Beth, he had never left anyone like this! Maybe she was overreacting to the situation, but she was alone and sick and she didn't want to be either one. She stumbled back a little as a bird shot from a bush to her left, darting up towards the black night sky. Beth stared up after it long after it was out of sight, her jaw slightly slack and her hands trembling. Beth was actually scared.

"What the hell are ya doin out here?"

Beth whipped around at the sound of his southern drawl and saw him with his eyes slightly narrowed down at her, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. Tears sprung to her eyes and before he could say anything else she flung herself at him, not caring about the blanket falling from her shoulders. She held fast to him, burying her face into his dirty chest and letting out a small whimper against the fabric of his shirt. He sputtered for a minute then fell silent, Beth feeling an arm wrap around her shoulders in comfort. She tightened her grip around him when she felt her knees shake. She was so weak, and all of this crying was taking ore out of her, but she didn't care. She had been so scared. She felt like she had been abandoned, or everything had been takin away from her again. Beth couldn't handle anymore loss, even the foul mouthed older Dixon brother could never be lost to her.

"Get yerlf together kid," he mumbled above her.

She tightened her grip further. "I-I thought I lost you. I thought I was all alone…I don't want to be alone anymore Merle…" she whimpered.

"Ain't ever been alone girl, what would make ya think that?"

Beth didn't feel like explaining her feelings to this man who was her technical savior right now. He wouldn't understand or most likely care, so she would just keep it all to herself. But she let one thing slip out, one thing she didn't know had the power to bring just as much harm as good. Something that would almost ruin everything.

"Please don't leave me Merle…"

After a long moment of silence she heard a sigh. "I'll never leave ya kid."

* * *

_So I'd like to make a few suggestions on stories and authors on . They're really good writers but no one will review and I just can't help but get upset about it. Some of my reviewers please go give these guys some love, because they desperately need it. I am a co-author in both of these:_

_This Is As Quiet As It Gets by TehKinkehWalrus_

_White roses by Amandapanda7 _

_And she doesn't super need it but her story is great anyway, When life gives you lemons by missy7293_

_These are really good stories and really good writers, so please check them out._


	6. Chapter 6

**12/26/13 – 6:18 p.m.**

_I know its been a minute since I update. Sorry guys, I've been busy helping with a Carl/OC story on here called White roses and it was so much fun I got caught up in it and forgot about this story. I know my chapters have been short, sorry for that, but this is where they start getting longer and possibly more exciting. I'm gonna go ahead and say this, Merle and Beth don't hook up with the group for a long ass time, but I don't mean like months or more, maybe a couple of weeks, around two months at the most honestly. This is the time for a relationship to bloom;) anyway, let me guys know what you think and if you have any suggestions for where the plot line should go for a little bit before and after they find the group PM me unless you're a guest then review and give me your ideas. I have found to love having a readers opinion and adding their thoughts to the story makes everything so interesting in a good way. _

_Now I'm rambling._

_Anyway, R&R, you know the drill._

_I guess this chapter is kind of M rated, but only for a split second._

* * *

Beth was asleep again.

Merle stared at her from across the fire, watched the sleeping bag she was swaddled in rise and fall with her even breathing. He rubbed his face and groaned in aggravation. She had fallen asleep on the ride towards the interstate and Merle had figured he could be nice and find a better place for her to sleep. She had looked rather uncomfortable with her neck at that unnatural angle against the window and Merle had found this spot just off of the road. He had hidden the car for a moment and stepped into the woods a good ten feet and had cut a trail to a small clearing. He had left the ten feet of brush so no one could see his path and therefore stumble upon Merle and Beth while they slept, if they did. After that he had gotten the car hidden better and carried Beth all the way back. She had the flu, well the beginnings of a flu. For right now she just had a bad cough and no energy to do anything. This was bad, back when they had medicine at the ready she would be fine, but now with nothing for her but sleep they were both in a real bind. Plus the winter chill was beginning to set in.

God was not making things easy for them.

Merle poked at the fire for a moment and then settled back into his place in the dirt. He stared down at his bladed hand and lifted it up towards the flames, inspecting it for cracks. He ran the palm of his hand along its edge and was not surprised at a small prick of pain in his palm. Merle stared at the small bead of blood than ran down his wrist and sighed, laying his blade down. He could only think of how to get back to the mountains he knew so well. Looking over at Beth he could only think of how she didn't want to go there. She wanted to find the rest of the group. Merle wondered if she knew they had all been split up when the Governor attacked. The bus had left along with the passengers, Merle knew there were a few kids left behind and the others…he was clueless as to who else was left behind. There was always someone left behind when it came to these things. Merle didn't want to have to deal with the torrent of a grieving Beth if she ever found that she had lost what remained of her family, meaning her older sister.

Merle also thought of his younger brother. He had lost him a year ago, he did not want to deal with him being lost again. Daryl was tough, resourceful, he would survive. But if they could find each other again was the problem. Merle was no mush, he didn't like to display or even _think_ about caring about his brothers well being at any level. But to be honest, Merle was as scared as Beth. He just would never admit it. He wasn't like that, he knew what happened when you did that. People see your weaknesses, they exploit them and sometimes…they made fun of them.

Merle shook that thought away and poked at the fire again, watching embers sway up towards the sky. They would leave first thing in the morning, if Beth knew her way from the highway it shouldn't take too long to get back to the others. But how long it took them to get to the highway was a depressing fact. Merle knew exactly where they were, there had been an out-there bar around this area he frequented quite often and he had never been near the highway, but there were a few truckers that frequented the bar and bitched about how long it was taking them to get to the highway. It was a good two weeks away from here. _If_ they could make a straight shot. If they couldn't, only God could decide the time limit. He would keep all of that to himself. All he needed was an even more depressed Beth Greene tagging along with him. Sure, she had taken charge for now, but at some point she was going to break and they didn't need this topped on it.

"Wh-What time is it?"

Merle shrugged and watched her sit up, rubbing gross out of her eyes with the heel of her hands. He raised a brow as the edge of the blanket slipped down her right shoulder. She noticed his stare and blushed, grabbing at the blanket and lifting it back up to hide herself.

"And how did that happen?"

Beth grit her teeth for a second but let out an embarrassed breath. "I don't know…must have gotten hot in here," she started digging around inside of the blanket and finally jerked out her tank top. She set it in her lap and sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her left ear. "No that's not embarrassing at all…"

Merle almost chuckled, but settled for a small snicker. "I wish ya knew better kid."

"What do you mean by that?"

"There ya go getting all flustered again. Go back to sleep, this is probably all yer gonna get for a minute."

Beth stared at him across the fire and nodded slowly, laying back down, pulling the thick blanket over herself then the edge of the sleeping bag. "Merle," she mumbled after a moment.

"Hmm," he hummed, poking at the fire before he tossed a couple of small sticks into the flames.

Beth stared at the tree line where she saw the glowing eyes of a cat. It paced back and forth, larger than a normal cat, but it made no move to charge into their camp. It just watched Beth for a moment before it slumped to the ground and rested its head on its large paws. Beth swallowed thickly and swaddled her face deeper into the sleeping bag.

"Think we can find th' others…"

"Yeah, I do."

"Hey Merle?"

"What?"

"There's a fucking panther over here."

**0000**

"Ok so now what…"

Beth stared in utter and complete hopelessness at the mountain of burned bodies in front of them. They were blocking the entire fucking road. Beth threw her hands into the air and started stomping back towards the car while Merle chuckled, watching her hips sway in those tight jeans of her. Fucking kid didn't know what a man was now did she? She dropped into the passenger seat of the car and braced her knees against the dash, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Merle sat in the driver's seat, resting his arm on the steering wheel as he scratched the side of his face with his blade. "Well there goes our straight shot…guess we goin through the fields."

Beth looked up at him with a look of disbelief. "What?"

He didn't answer her, he just grinned and started the engine and jerked the steering wheel to the right. Beth screamed and fumbled for the door; she grabbed a hold of the handle as tightly as she could and slammed the door shut then braced her hands against the dash, eyes wide and forward. The car jolted and jumped as Merle plowed through the field, hollering in utter delight as the car hit a slight hill and gained some air for a moment. Beth did none of the things Merle did, she screamed and whimpered, eyes squeezing shut and snapping open until they hit the pavement. Merle chuckled at er as she tried to fix and calm herself.

"Never had fun have ya?"

She glared at him. "Fun? You call _that_ fun? Are you out of your mind?!"

He just laughed again. "Hell yeah I call that fun," he leaned towards her slightly. "Most people do."

She grumbled and pushed him away, crossing her arms over her chest and adverting her eyes to the window. "Daryl wouldn't have put me through that…"

He prickled at the mention of his brother's name. "Put ya through what?"

"He wouldn't have scared me like that."

Merle scoffed and then went silent. He would definitely have a talk with his brother when he caught up with him.

**0000**

**Daryl**

"God dammit…" Daryl cursed, shaking off the moss that was trying to cling to him.

He had spent the night in thicket of trees, thinking with the moss and everything he would be unseen for the night. He had been right, but getting _out_ of the damn thing was a whole different story. He pulled the thick piece of moss from his back and tossed it to the side, walking over to his bike. Daryl had thought about going back to the prison and seeing if anyone had ventured back to check for supplies or anything. He knew Michonne was back there, she had run off to help Rick who Daryl had seen being beat to death by the Governor. He didn't know what happened after that. He _had_ heard Rick screaming for Carl on his way out, but that was it.

He started the bike and pulled out of the bushes he had parked in, hitting the gas heavy once he was on the road. He had to find his brother, he had Beth with him. Beth, the pretty little blonde. Daryl swallowed thickly as his mind wandered, picturing her thin little thighs hooked around his waist, her chest arched up against him, jaw slack. He shook the picture away and tightened his grip on the handles of the bike. He couldn't think of her like that while he was driving. He shouldn't think of her like that at all, but he couldn't help himself. She was just so damn _fine_, he couldn't help himself. Of course he wasn't in love with her, she was just putty in his hands and if she was willing he would jump at it. He knew Carol wanted him, but he didn't want her. She was a good six years older than him, and he didn't need a broken woman following him around after he fucked her.

She was a clinger.

He. Fucking. Hated. Clingers.

He sighed and turned his attention back to the road. He needed to focus.

* * *

_I cut this chapter off retarded :/ but I felt that this was a good point to stop. I'm making two new suggestions to stories:_

_Skinny Love by FuckinPoind3xter_

_And I started a new story called Eyesight to the Blind, it's a Daryl/OC story._


	7. Chapter 7

"I don't know about this Merle…" Beth whispered against his ear.

She was hunched over him, hands flat against his back as he crouched on the edge of the building. They had been scoping out a building for about twenty minutes, trying to figure out whether or not this was a good idea or not to clear the Walkers out and make this their base for a few days. It was beginning to rain, they didn't have much time to decide about this. And Beth couldn't hold back the mucus coming from her nose any longer, she had to sniff or blow her nose like something serious.

Merle tsked and rubbed his bottom lip, bouncing on his heels a little. "We clear it out, there shouldn't be a lot of Walkers inside, it's been boarded up fer awhile."

Beth nodded and pulled her pistol from the back of her jeans. "Well then let's do this, it's cold and I'm tired."

Merle chuckled at her almost putting tone and nodded, jumping to his feet. There were about twelve Walkers wandering around, Merle easily took out four of them in a matter of minutes while Beth stood from afar, picking them off left and right. She had an easy time using a gun, easier time than she thought she would have. At first Beth had been scared of guns, she didn't know how to use one and her daddy always told her that it was a man's place with a rifle in his hands, not a woman's, but here she was, on par with an old professional with her pistol. She keeps one eye closed, shoulders and back straight, hands steady, and then she miscalculates and nicks Merle on his shoulder. He doesn't seem to notice, not right away at least, and keeps on plowing through the last four. Beth winces when Merle finally realizes he just got shot and he howls in pain. It pricks at her ears and she shoves her gun back into her jeans, jogging forward as he falls to his knees, taking a Walker down by the skull with him.

"Why the fuck did ya shoot me?!"

Beth rolls her eyes as she rolls him on his back. "Oh shut up, it just grazed you," she mutters, pressing her fingers down around the wound. "It's just a flesh wound, you'll be fine."

"Hurts like a bitch."

"Oh boo hoo, now we gotta hide the car."

Merle grumbled at her indifference, sitting up and watching her walk away as though nothing had happened. What was her deal? She hadn't always been this way, when Merle first met her she had been kind and sweet, what had changed all of that? It seemed like his brother played a big part in the problem, or maybe that was more of Merle's above average curiosity for why Beth seemed so attached to his baby brother. Had to be just puppy love on her part, when Merle say them interacting at the prison Daryl seemed very bland to her. Merle was just too nosey for his own good these days. He had to pull out that old Dixon charm if he wanted to win any answers over from that little farm girl.

They hid the car in brush again, Merle really doing the hiding. Beth was on standby, making sure no Walkers or worse, humans, noticed them and decided to pounce. They pried off the wooden planks keeping the double doors closed, hearing faint growls coming from Walkers inside, and Beth cringed. She was so tired, she wanted to just get inside and sleep, she was tired of fighting Walkers. She was tired of walking and running and driving, she just wanted to lie down and sleep for days. Merle counted to three and jerked the last bored off, ramming his blade through the top of a Walkers skull as it stumbled through the doors. He shook it off and it went for another while Beth slipped inside, firing off a few rounds. There were three left in the store while Merle dealt with two outside, and Beth was missing.

Her vision blurred and she sort of gasped, holding the side of her head while she tried to aim. She got one, finally, under its left eye and it slumped to the ground, while the last two were still coming towards her. She slowly sank to her knees, her gun clattering to the floor beside her as her eyes slipped closed. Merle looked towards the store, through the grimy windows, and jogged inside, growling and charging at the two Walkers left when he saw Beth lying on the floor. A groan slipped past her lips, but she was unconscious. He all but decapitated the last two, turning ones head to mush before he kicked it into a corner, turning to Beth. She was breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed, and he grabbed her up the best he could, jogging back towards a room labeled 'Manager Only'. He almost hissed when he saw the shitty bed, a toddler's bed, but just right for the malnourished teenager. He set her up the best he could, making sure she was on her side, before he jogged back out and grabbed their bags. He shut the door behind him, huffing as he pushed a small shelf in the way of the doors.

"Fuck kid," he muttered, pressing his hand against the side of her face, against her ear slightly. "Your fuckin burning up."

Sadly Merle was very good at taking care of people when they were sick, he got it from his mother. It was sad because he was Merle Dixon, he was supposed to be this hard ass that was good with a gun. He wasn't supposed to be Nurse Dixon, coming to the aid of snot suckers. He sat beside her on the bed, digging through the pack for something that could help. When he found nothing he kicked the bag away, his anger getting the best of him. He held his face in his hand, the edge of his blade running against the side of his head. She was bad if she had passed out, and the way she was breathing…

"Mother fucker," he spat, jumping to his feet. He paused in the doorway, looking over his shoulder at her. "I promise I'm not gonna leave ya…" he muttered, walking out the door.

* * *

_Sort of a filler for my absence._


	8. Chapter 8

_**7:07 p.m. – 1/17/14**_

_Sorry I haven't updated in so long. God I just want to hurdle Beth and Merle into romance! Now I forgot to advertise for a few stories. This Is As Quiet As It Gets by TehKinkehWalrus is a good story, and I have a darker version of it called Eyesight to the Blind on my stories list so check that out too. Two stories by Amandapanda7 if you like Carl/OC stories, and even if you don't, I didn't but she has pretty good ideas, White Roses and its sequel Lucky You (I think that's the name of the sequel). And for those special people out there – anyone into Transformers? Check my profile. X-Men? Check my profile. And I wanna make Daryl kind of dark in this story, meaning warped sense of humor, dangerous mood swings – the whole shebang. So enjoy! R&R please!_

* * *

Daryl stared at the fire burning in front of him, listening to Walkers groaning ahead of him, and he looked up. They were pressed up against the barbed wire fence of what was once a cattle field, their arms stretched out in front of them, hoping to latch onto Daryl. His eyes flickered down to the old black puss and flood oozing from open wounds, the bulge of rotting flesh around the wire, and he leaned back, tossing a piece of dried out jerky at one of the Walkers open mouth. It snapped its jaws at the dried piece, but it didn't catch it, and Daryl chuckled, tossing another piece.

**0000**

Beth rubbed at her raw nose, her eyes crusted to sleep, and she shivered. It was cold, the dark giving away to night, and Beth was still tired. She felt stuffy and aggravated, and she had to pee really badly. But Beth didn't want to get up, she wanted to stay in whatever she was in instead of moving. Her small bundle was warm, and she didn't want to be cold again. But Beth sat up anyway, and scrubbed away the sleep from her eyes, yawning. She winced and rubbed the left side of her jaw; something had popped. She rubbed her arms and pushed herself off of the thin little bed, walking to the cracked door in front of her. She peeked her head out and looked around. Nothing.

"Merle?"

Why was this happening again?

She muttered a curse under her breath and slumped back onto the bed she had been laying on. On the outside Beth was calm, a little angry, but calm. On the inside, she was losing her freaking mind. Why did he do this to her again, especially after he had promised her. He said he wasn't leaving her again, and here he goes, fucking leaving. Beth stared into the darkness in front of her, her lower limp trembling, and she leaned forward onto her knees, squeezing her eyes shut as the tears started pouring. Her shoulders shook with small sobs, and she didn't want to make any noise, but a few noises kept slipping out every now and again.

"Here ya are, cryin again."

Her head shot up and she saw Merle standing in the doorway, a lamp tied to his blade. She glared and jumped up, almost tackling him. "I thought you fucking left me again!"

He sighed. "I told ya I wouldn't leave, but I had to go find something for your cold."

Beth almost snorted. Merle looking for cold medicine? She wanted to say something, but she could tell by the tone of his voice he was feeling so un-macho, so she let it slide and took the bottle of Nyquil from him. She rolled it over it her hands and smiled up at him.

"Thank you Merle."

He stared at her for a long time and then grumbled. "Come on…I'll start a fire."

"In the store," she questioned, following him out into the rest of the store.

Merle nodded. "Yeah, start it near the window."

Beth nodded and helped him. It took maybe ten minutes to get the fire started, and when it did Merle magically produced food. Beth sat beside the fire, pulling her knees up to her chest, and she took two sips of the Nyquil. She grimaced at the taste and shook her head, her face puckering up. Grape flavor? That bottle was such a fucking liar. She capped the Nyquil and set it beside her, mouth watering over the smell of cooking beans. She had never been a big fan of baked beans, but when your choices are limited these things were delicious.

"Hungry?" Merle chuckled, hearing Beth's stomach grumbling.

She blushed and reached up, rubbing her hands over her tummy. She clenched the fabric of her t-shirt and looked over at him. "Shut up…"

He chuckled again, pushing around the beans. "You shut up, thinking I left you and shit. Are you stupid?"

Beth teared up a little. "Thanks Merle for making me feel better."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look I'm just a little on edge…Just eat alright?"

Beth sniffed and nodded, taking the cooled can from Merle's hand. She stirred the beans around a few times and pulled out a spoonful, swallowing it without even chewing. She didn't care about chewing right now. She was starving, and she really wanted to get the taste of probably expired Nyquil out of her mouth. She didn't think medicine like that could go bad, it always tasted horrible. That's why she wanted her father, he could have a natural remedy fixed up for her right now.

And there went a tear. Beth suppressed a whimper and reached up, wiping away the tear that was now on her cheek. She sniffed a little and picked her beans back up, wanting to stuff her face, but that was out of the question. She was already gross enough, add beans flying everywhere and she would hate herself. Merle was already picking on her, she would never live that down for sure.

"You cryin again?"

She shook her head and wiped at her chin. "No," she mumbled around a mouthful of food.

"Liar," he muttered, adding a few sticks he had gathered into the fire. "Why you cryin?"

She looked up at him through her bangs. "You don't care…"

He huffed and moved around in his spot. "Jus' tryin to be nice."

Beth grumbled a little and took a few bites from her can of beans, her movements jerky and fast. After a few moments she slowed down, thinking about actually talking to Merle. Keeping all of this bottled up inside of her was not a good idea. She would explode at the wrong time, but she wanted to talk to someone that would show genuine care and compassion. She didn't think Merle was capable of either one of those things.

But it was worth a try right?

"I was thinking of my daddy…" she whispered.

He looked over at her. "Oh yeah? I was thinking about him to."

She looked up with slightly widened eyes. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Just thinking about how he could take care of ya better than anyone could."

Beth smiled a little. She wouldn't say what she thought, that would just make him mad or something like that. So she just curled her legs tighter to her chest and munched on her beans. She and Merle was thinking of the same thing. How sad, so he doubted his own capabilities to take care of someone? Doesn't he know about A for effort?

"You're doing a pretty good job to me Merle…"


End file.
